Practice Nurse

Job description

Job responsibilities

KEY CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

To assess, plan and provide health care and practice nursing services to the practice population ensuring they are effective, relevant, evidence-based and of a high standard. To demonstrate clinical effectiveness and the rationale behind various methods chosen to meet healthcare needs of patients.

To undertake telephone consultations as required and to document accordingly.

To provide a comprehensive general practice nursing service, to include, wound care, diagnostic blood and urine tests, ear care and advice, travel immunisations and advice, within the surgery, and where appropriate in patient homes.

To develop a protocol for, and undertake telephone consultations as required, and document accordingly.

To provide a family planning and sexual health service, to include cervical screening and advice and information regarding breast screening, chlamydia and pregnancy testing.

To provide an effective health promotion service, to include smoking cessation and healthy lifestyle clinics linked to identified targets and outcomes.

To identify and maintain registers of those patients with chronic disease, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, thyroid disease, epilepsy and coronary heart disease.

To lead and participate on the development, implementation, delivery and evaluation of programmes of care for those patients with chronic disease as dictated by the National Service Frameworks (NSF) targets, and to meet and maintain the quality indicators laid down in the nGMS contract

To assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and to work within the NMC Code of Professional Conduct to provide care for patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment.

Professional

To work closely with relevant organisations to ensure equal access to healthcare for all patients.

To communicate effectively with patients to deliver quality healthcare. This will include patients who have special communication needs,

To be responsible for ensuring that clinical governance standards within the practice are met, including managing clinical risk within own clinics.

To work closely with the practice team and wider primary care colleagues through attendance at clinical meetings, ensuring effective lines of communication in order to achieve a high standard and continuity of health care for the practice population.

Nursing Management and Administration

To share responsibility for the management of the practice nursing services and resources. This includes the ordering, and maintenance of equipment/instruments/disposables, as well as the correct storage of vaccinations (maintaining cold chain), drugs and all clinical stock used in the practice. To ensure that controls assurance standards for medical devices are implemented

Ensure that the clinical areas are clean and tidy at all times, and take responsibility for health and safety, including cleaning spilt body fluids in accordance with the Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trusts (THPCT) Infection Control Policy.

To ensure that all risks in all treatment areas have been assessed according to the Care of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) legislation.

To maintain accurate and contemporaneous patient records, both computerised and/or manual, in accordance with practice and NMC Guidelines.

To undertake the collection and interpretation of manual or computerised data for use in service and clinical audit, and initiate and co-ordinate future research projects.

To work with your line manager and the practice team to ensure that local and national targets are met.

To liaise with your line manager and the practice manager, attend meetings to ensure smooth delivery and performance of the surgerys nursing service.

To work with your line manager and GP colleagues and practice team on policy development within the practice, by providing nursing input into any decision-making processes affecting the care of patients.

To be responsible for operational delivery of the practice nursing service to meet prioritised patient need on a daily basis.

To maintain good working relationships with practice, CCG colleagues and local service providers.

Professional

To be professionally accountable and responsible for all aspects of your own work, including the management of patients in your care, always practising in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct.

To maintain a professional portfolio which reflects personal development and to attend clinical supervision.

To be responsible for maintaining competency to practise through ones own continuous personal and professional development activities. To maintain an annual professional development plan through appraisal, in accordance with the THPCT Performance Development Scheme, and that is relevant to the practices development.

To undertake such training and professional development that is required under the nGMS contract or local and national enhanced services or is relevant to the practices continuing development and growth.

Undertake the measurement and evaluation of your work through the use of audit (such as cervical smear adequacy), outcome measures and evidence-based practice projects.

Effort

To travel independently between practice sites and between practices in the network (where applicable) and to attend meetings etc hosted by other agencies.

To deal sensitively with patients that may have high levels of anxiety and aggression caused by pain, dementia or limited mobility.

Confidentiality:

In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately

In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, Practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the Practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential

Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the Practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & Safety:

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks

Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills

Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards

Reporting potential risks identified

Equality and Diversity:

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Practice procedures and policies, and current legislation

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues

Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development:

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the Practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development

Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Quality:

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:

Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk

Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision

Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with other team members

Communicate effectively with patients and carers

Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the Implementation of Services:

Apply Practice policies, standards and guidance

Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work

Participate in audit where appropriate

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as a Practice Nurse

Desirable

• Able to use EMIS Web

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

The Mission Practice

Address

208 Cambridge Heath Road

London

E2 9LS

Employer's website

https://www.themissionpractice.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)